Hateno Housemates
by fioreofthemarch
Summary: 'A little while ago he'd told her that he loved her. He'd realised he couldn't imagine anything but loving her. But living together...that was serious.' A year in the life of Link and Zelda as they share a roof, and try to find a little normalcy and domestic bliss in the Hylian town of Hateno. Post-game
1. Autumn

**Autumn**

 _It'll have to do_ Link admitted to himself the evening before Zelda was due to arrive. _You can stop cleaning now, Hero._

He'd spent the past two, maybe three days cleaning out his Hateno Home to make way for the Princess. In truth he'd been unable to stop fidgeting over the house as he waited for Zelda to move in. Hyrule Castle itself was still in disrepair; most of it was untraversable, either caved in or crawling with Malice. And after one too many times losing her work to a gust of wind and a gap in the wall, Zelda decided she would just live somewhere _else_ while repairs were being done.

Link couldn't quite remember offering for her to stay. He'd been walking with her along the battlements, listening to her lament the state of the castle. He'd scratched his chin and tried not to sound too hopeful when he mentioned that he'd bought a house in Hateno, and the next thing he knew they were planning living arrangements and discussing how to split up chores.

Zelda would take the loft, and Link the main floor. Neither of them planned to be there very often, preferring the road to being cooped up at home; Zelda was in the midst of a tour through the major settlements of Hyrule, and Link had business in Akkala aiding the restoration of the Citadel. The Hateno home would be little more than a base of operations until the Castle was done - they couldn't call it _living together_.

She streamed in like sunlight the next afternoon, carrying an overflowing pack and a large stack of books. Her personal belongings were scarce; once she'd arranged her things, they fit in their entirety in a single dresser drawer. But the rest…

A horde of books and writing tools, all salvaged from the Hyrule Castle library; a few vials of elixirs and an entire pack of surveying tools; a telescope and a star chart; and a miscellany of things Link couldn't even identify let alone understand the purpose of.

Link nervously watched Zelda unpack her things, barely able to believe she was real. _What are you afraid of, Hero?_ A little while ago he'd told her that he loved her. He'd realised he couldn't imagine anything _but_ loving her. But living together...that was _serious_.

Link cleared his throat. "I gotta get some groceries, want to join?"

Zelda poked her head over the railing of the loft, grinning down at him. "You're cooking?"

Link nodded happily, and that seemed to be all the convincing she needed.

They walked hand in hand through the town, waving and nodding at the strangers that passed by, a gradual realisation dawning on them both; no one knew who they were. They were both in plain traveller's clothes, dyed in subdued browns and blues both practical and unmistakably Hylian. Zelda had twisted her hair into a braid that was hidden under a hood, and without her regalia and golden jewels she looked the same as any other Hylian.

 _Well,_ Link thought, as he watched her thumb through his list of groceries. _Not just any Hylian_.

"We should pick fake names" Zelda suggested on the way back to the house.

Link raised his eyebrows at her. "...are you sure?"

She wrapped her arm around his, and spoke in a low voice. "Call it a security measure. Can't have people knowing the the Hero of Hyrule has an unlocked door,"

"I'll get a lock." Link said defensively. "When I need it."

"Oh, so _nine_ weapon racks was more important than a lock,"

He gave her a gentle shove, eliciting from her a sudden raft of giggles.

"We don't need a lock," he said.

"Oh?"

Link took her right hand in his, and tapped the triangular crest on her hand. "You can just _seal_ the door."

Zelda's face fell. "Link…" she groaned. "Oh Hylia, no-"

"What?" he challenged her, stifling a laugh. They walked into the house, both eyeing the wooden door knowingly.

"Is this living here will be like, then?" Zelda asked as she dumped her bundle of groceries onto the table. "Bickering and bad jokes?"

Link closed the door behind himself, and walked slowly up to her, groceries all but forgotten as he cupped her face in his hands and gave her a long, rapturous kiss. His worries about living with her were all gone then, and he remembered with a sudden clarity _why_ he knew he loved her.

"Maybe," he said breathlessly. "Can't imagine I'd prefer anything else,"

* * *

 **A/N:** This fic was written as part of a writing request from tumblr. It is finished and will update ~once every three days. Thanks!


	2. Winter

**Winter**

Winter came to Hyrule in the form of crisp winds, frozen mornings, and furious blizzards. Zelda could not remember a time when the kingdom shone the way it did under the snow.

She had been on the road for nearly a week, after passing through Hyrule Castle Town to asses the repairs. Another few months of work, the builders had told her, and the town could be ready for its first residents. The Castle however, would take much longer. So Zelda found herself riding once more for Hateno, eagerly awaiting a hot meal and a warm bed.

The little Hateno house was huddled in the thick snow, its facade lined with drooping icicles. Anticipation and delight thrummed through Zelda's chest when she spied a thin waft of smoke rising from the chimney.

He's here!

Their frequent travels had often kept Link and Zelda apart - and even sharing a roof did not change that. And while each time they were reunited felt like falling in love with him all over again, those moments were as rare as they were sweet, and the stretches in between were tending long and tedious. They'd taken to leaving each other notes in the meantime, scribbling thoughts and memos onto a leather-bound journal that sat permanently by the door of the Hateno house. The single, simple line of communication wasn't much, but it was better than total silence.

But that didn't matter now. He was here! They were here, together for once.

Zelda secured her horse in its shelter, and bounded over to the front door to find...a note, written in neat but scratchy handwriting.

 _Helping Purah move some shelves. Back by evenfall. Key is under the doormat. - L_

 _"Key is under the doormat_?" Zelda snatched the note from the door, and went to turn the handle; it did not budge. She tried again but no use. The door was locked - locked!

"Oh, you did not," she muttered, shaking her head. The fabled key was exactly where the note had described, and stepping into the house Zelda was hit with a wave of warmth and familiarity; home. She opened up the journal by the door, fondly reading the notes that had been left there since the autumn.

 _Made some cake, it's in the pantry - **L**_

 _Ate all the cake, sorry. - **L**_

 _Seldon was asking after you, said you promised to pay him for something - **Z**_

 _Yes, you bought a coat from him for winter and told him that I would pay for it - **L**_

 _You should be signing off with your fake name - **Z**_

 _What if my fake name starts with L. And you're not even using yours. - **L**_

 _Also pay for your coat! Seldon was here again today - **L**_

 _Okay I paid for your coat - **L**_

 _Thankyou. And what if my fake name starts with Z? - **Z**_

Her eyes followed the notes down to the bottom of the page, and she smiled when she saw the newest note.

 _How many names actually start with Z? - **L**_

Zelda picked up the pen that sat next to the journal, determined to win this argument.

 _Zara? Zoe?_

She had to think for a moment, but eventually gave up, adding,

 _We can talk about this later. - **Z**_

Dusk came and went, the Hateno house beginning to creak under the rising winter winds. Zelda sat by the crackling fire with a book in hand, determined not to fret while she waited. But soon the fire was burning low, and not a single page of her book had been read. The winds had become a snowstorm, and still there was no sign of Link.

Perhaps he isn't here at all. Perhaps the note is days old. But why set a fire - and then leave? It was midnight by the time she gave up waiting, and sulkily crawling into her bed in the loft. Sleep evaded her however, and so Zelda spent most of the night trying to think of names that began with Z. _Zillie? Zalda?_ None of them sounded right.

She was eating a breakfast of sliced apple and honey the next morning when there was a rattling at the front door, followed by three low thumps against the wood. Annoyed at being disturbed, she marched over to the door, and flung it open to find…

 _Link!?_

"What are you doing here!?" she half cried when she saw him.

From under his snow flecked Hylian hood, Link's eyes went wide, and he started backwards, the cold-flushed red of his cheeks seeming to drain. "I...live here?" he said slowly.

"Where _were_ you?"

"It was snowing out," Link answered quickly. He began to shake the snow from his boots. "I stayed at the Tech Lab.'

"Snowing," Zelda said incredulously, narrowing her eyes at him as he walked into the house. "I was here all night fretting, and thinking of names, and you didn't come back because it was _snowing_?"

"Wait...thinking of names?" Link deflected.

"You can see for yourself" Zelda huffed, pointing to the journal. Link picked up the little book, and flipped through, finding the latest entry. He clicked his teeth. "That isn't many."

Zelda crossed her arms defiantly. "And what's your fake name then, Hero?"

Link shrugged, his features twitching to into a mischievous smile. Like a child with his hand in the honey. "I dunno...Lincoln?"

She gave him a wintery cold glare, but it broke when she laughed. "Lincoln?" she guffawed.

Link was laughing too, and then pulling her into a long hug, and a quick kiss. Zelda realised that it was first of either that they had shared in months.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," he told her as he pulled away. "I wasn't... actually helping Purah with the shelves"

"Oh? " Zelda should have expected that nothing as mundane as chores went on at the Tech Lab in Hateno.

Link reached into the small satchel at his waist, and handed her a tiny parcel wrapped in string. " _She_ was helping me with this,"

Zelda pried apart the wrapping to reveal a small, aquamarine crystal in a net of twine, secured to a cord like a pendant.

"A message medallion. It can communicate with the Slate. Short messages, though we're not sure of the range." Link explained, unhooking the Sheikah Slate from his belt. He tapped at the screen, and motioned for Zelda to don the necklace. Then he went to the door, and stepped out into the cold. "Wait here,"

Zelda examined the medallion while she waited. It was a solid piece of glowing stone, though underneath the surface she could see the faintest engravings of Sheikah runes.

And then, the stone spoke.

"Can you hear me?" came Link's voice, soft and scratchy but almost as clear as if he were right there with her. Zelda's face lit up, and she half cried out in delight.

"That is fantastic! " she beamed. "Where are you?"

"By the dye shop." came the reply. "The medallion's yours. Call it your Winter's Gift"

"The dye shop, that's fascinating- wait," Her joy suddenly withered. "What did you just say?"

"It was the solstice yesterday after all," Link said.

Zelda stood frozen in disbelief. "It was?" she asked in a small voice.

His voice was gentle, a little unsurprised even. "Yeah, well, I know it's easy to forget."

Zelda had indeed forgotten. She hadn't even _realised_ the date - and she certainly had not thought they would be together on this day, of all days. Embarrassed and a little guilty, she met him at their front door with nothing to offer but an apologetic hug.

"I don't even know what I could give you in return…" she admitted later as they sat together by the fire.

Link gave her a forgiving smile, warmer even than the crackling fire itself. He entwined a hand in hers. "How about we drop the fake names idea?" he teased. "That might be enough,"

In his company, there was nothing to do but concede. Zelda ran a finger over the glowing message medallion. "Thank you for this, Link,"

"It was nothing," he grinned, and punctuating the word a squeeze of his hand, he added: "Zelda ."


	3. Spring

Link knelt by the vegetable plot in the garden of his Hateno house, inspecting a fully-grown hearty radish. He turned over the sturdy leaves between a thumb and a forefinger, face twisted in thought, before snatching up the little book on gardening that sat at his side. _Radishes typically take around six weeks to grow to maturity._ He'd underlined the sentence twice, for the precise reason that he'd only planted the radishes a fortnight prior. Perhaps the Hateno soil was unusually rich, or perhaps the book was outdated. Zelda had salvaged it from the Hyrule Castle Library for him after he'd mentioned wanting to try his hand at gardening. They'd built four vegetable plots together in the yard next to their Hateno house, and Zelda had returned from her next trip to Hyrule Castle with a large bundle of books on everything from composting to cultivation.

Link lowered his book, and eyed the radishes skeptically. On the last day that he and Zelda had shared in Hateno, Link's radish plot contained little more than sprouts - but Zelda had assured him that radishes were hardy, and would grow no matter the skill of their gardener. In fact, she had seemed a tad too sure of the matter. Link reached into his shirt, and pulled out the faintly glowing message medallion.

Zelda had taken the Sheikah Slate to document the progress on Hyrule Castle, so it was Link's turn with the medallion. He wore it constantly, both a convenience and a comfort; a small piece of her , reminding him that they were never truly very far apart.

Link tapped the medallion in the now familiar rhythm; _ta-ta-ta-ta, ta, daah-ta-daah-daah_

The medallion's diffuse glow intensified, and Link spoke: "Zelda? Are you there?"

There was a pause, and then the sweet voice spoke back. "Of course I am, Link," He could practically hear that sun-gold smile. "How can I help?"

Link wasn't sure how to word the question. He carefully examined the radish again. _No_ , he decided. _I'm sure of this_.

"You didn't... _do_ something to the garden did you?" he asked slowly. "Before you left?"

"...No," Zelda said simply.

"Okay, it's just…uh…" Link looked back to the book; _six weeks...six weeks...six weeks_. "The radishes are growing _really_ well."

Zelda understood his words immediately. "That isn't how my powers work, Link." He could hear her chuckling as she spoke. "I can't just... wish for things to happen."

"Are you _sure_?"

"Link, really. You started a garden and it's going well. That is _all_ it is." There was impatience in her voice. Rumbling in the background, Link could hear the bustling noises of the newly rebuilt Hyrule Castle Town: voices of passersby, locked in their own arguments; carts rolling against the cobblestone; children squealing as they ran through the streets. _It sounds busy_ , he thought, and then with a burst of warmth. _It sounds alive_.

"If you say so," he sighed, still a little skeptical, adding, "When are you back?"

"Soon hopefully. Why, your garden not enough company?" Zelda teased.

Link didn't miss a beat. The sparring was a familiar dance now. "Not really. The radishes don't argue as much though."

"Radishes also don't do your washing and use their powers help you find socks that you lost under the bed."

"And I said thank you for that," Link deflected. "Hurry back okay. Hateno Festival is next week."

"I always hurry to see you," Zelda said wryly, the slightest hint of affection in her voice, and then the glow of the message medallion faded. She was gone.

* * *

The spring time Hateno Festival was already underway by the time Zelda rode into Hateno village. There was a note for her in the journal by the door.

 _Knew you'd be on the road and didn't want to disturb you. I'll be in town all day - got roped into helping with the produce stall - **Link**_

 _P.S. There's a parcel for you on the bed. Hope Seldon and I got it right._

Seldon? The tailor? Zelda climbed the steps to the loft, passing the long forgotten sleeping nook that Link had for himself built under the stairs. The pair were so often at the house without each other that it was more practical to use in the same bed. And when they were in Hateno together, well, there was no reason not to continue the arrangement…

Gingerly, Zelda unwrapped the parcel that Link had left her, and gasped as she pulled out a brand new, seashell coloured tunic made in the Hateno style. A note was pinned to the sleeve.

 _Something new for spring._

"You shouldn't have," Zelda said aloud, holding the tunic up to the light. She still felt guilty for forgetting to find him a Winter's Gift - though Zelda had managed to covertly enhance the budding crops in Link's garden as a secret way of making it up to him. Perhaps 'secret' was no longer the right word; Link certainly wasn't a fool and if Zelda feared that she might have given the crops a bit _too_ much of a boost.

Zelda slipped on the new tunic, marveling at how light it felt against her skin, and stepped out of the house to head for the Hateno Festival.

Link was helping Medda and Dantz, two of the farmers in the village, with their vegetable stall. The festival was buzzing around them: stalls and decorations spanned almost the entire town; a band was playing folk tunes by the inn; and at the centre of the village the people danced and chattered - coming together to celebrate the end of another winter.

The men at the vegetable stall were swapping tips on the art of gardening, with Link listening intently to their every word. Medda tapped Link on the arm when he saw Zelda approach, a knowing smile on the farmer's face.

Link turned, his face brightening into a beaming smile when he saw her, and he jogged over from the stall. Zelda clasped her hands behind her back. "Does it look okay?" she asked

Link gave her no answer; instead he swept her into his arms, spinning her around in a fierce hug. Zelda near shrieked in both shock and delight.

"You have to stop with these gifts," she told him after he let her go. "I still haven't given you anything in return."

Link raised a brow at her. "So those giant radishes in my garden - just a coincidence?"

Zelda tried to act coy, but under Link's gaze all she could do was laugh.

He shook his head, and clicked his teeth. "I hope you like radish," he said. "We've got enough for the whole summer."

* * *

The letter arrived the next morning, unceremoniously delivered by an amiable Rito courier. It was stamped with the Royal seal, and consisted of two short lines signed off by Zelda's own Chief Advisor.

 _The Castle is ready to be inhabited, Your Grace. We can have your chambers furnished within a week._

Zelda stood before the crackling fireplace; the morning air still brought a chill, and she had recently discovered her powers were useful for setting fires. Up in the loft, Link was still fast asleep in bed. The festival had stretched into the long hours, with no shortage of dancing and drinking. Link and Zelda had tried their hand at both; neither could dance, they discovered, but they were determined to learn for each other. It was almost dawn before they'd stumbled home together, giggling like children and fumbling for the key to their front door.

Zelda struggled to remember a time when she had felt more at ease, more like _herself_ , than when she had returned with Link to the house - the _home_ \- that they now shared.

She folded the letter in two, and threw it into the fire.


	4. Summer

**Summer**

For the first time in weeks, Link and Zelda arrived at their Hateno home together, their youthful and chatty voices lilting across the fields of swaying rice and lush green grasses. Medda, the farmer, waved them a welcome when he saw them riding into town, dropping his work to greet them at the gates.

It had only been a matter of time before the people of Hateno realised who Link and Zelda really were. After all, half of them had been at Zelda's coronation, held to celebrate the completion of the newly rebuilt Hyrule Castle. The Queen, they would whisper when they saw the pair walking through the village and her beloved knight - here!

Not that Medda seemed to mind. Royalty or not, a friendly face was always something to be cherished in a land as sparse and dangerous as Hyrule. He walked alongside their horses all the way to the house, excitedly filling them in on the goings-on of the village.

"Leon wants to expand the inn, we have a lot more travellers passing through now!" the young man told them. "Oh - and Ivee and I have been taking care of your garden. It's looking good, lots ready for to harvest!"

"Ivee?" Link asked. "The girl from the general store?"

"Oh uh!" Medda was caught off guard, his hollow-cheeked face reddening. "She's fond of cooking, so she likes to garden as well. She offered to help."

Link and Zelda dismounted and began securing their horses in the shelter by the house.

"She sweet on you too then?" Link teased.

"Link," Zelda shot him a disapproving glare.

Medda stood before them, aghast. "No-no," he was muttering.

"You ought to ask her to cook for you sometime. You could supply the produce. An equal trade." Link advised as he settled his horse and began to unload their packs.

"You-you really think?" Medda was hanging off his every word.

Zelda walked over to the young man and put a hand on his shoulder. "All he means is show her you care about her. That you think she's interesting."

Link was at her side then, having finished with the horses. He stood with his arms proudly crossed at his chest.

"And get a well-cooked meal out of it too!" he added with a grin. Zelda gave him another withering glare, but his grin never fell.

"I-I'll try that then!" Medda said with a nod, his hands determinedly balled into fists. Link and Zelda watched as their friend walked back into town with a slight spring in his step.

"Is that why you say you like my cooking?" Zelda asked once the young man was out of earshot. "Because you didn't have to cook?"

"I like your cooking because it's cooked by you," Link said sweetly, heading into the house.

"That my point!" Zelda called after him, but Link already had his back to her. Zelda shook her head, and followed him into the house.

* * *

The summer rainstorms in Hyrule were almost as fierce as the winter blizzards, and Link and Zelda awoke in the quiet hours of that evening to find their roof leaking in no less than four places.

Both springing from bed - and nearly tripping over each other in the process - they rushed out into the pouring rain, heading straight for their storage shed. Inside they fetched three large pails, placing them inside to hold the leaking water. While Link searched the house for a fourth basin to use, Zelda paused by their open front door, transfixed by the rain. The evening was so warm, she realised. She couldn't remember a time when she had felt warm rain against her skin. The rains in her life had always been cold, bringing only loss, and sorrow, and a memory of failure.

Zelda stepped out into the yard, her arms outstretched. There they were again; the tepid droplets against her skin, soft like an embrace. She raised her face to the sky, seeking to cherish this moment - to let the memories of the new erase the old.

Link's voice broke her reverie, and she turned to see him standing in the doorway. "Zelda?" he asked, a puzzled expression on his face. He cocked his head to the side. "You okay?"

"Of course!" she said, returning to the doorway. "Isn't this wonderful!?" She took Link's hand in hers and pulled him out into the rain.

"I don't understand," he breathed, laughing softly.

"Just enjoy it! You won't catch a chill from it!"

"I suppose the rain is nice," he agreed, turning his head towards the sky.

"See!" Zelda gushed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, seizing him in a tight and slightly clumsy hug. They spun through an imagined dance, muddy feet tracing out a waltz, and soon Link was humming softly to keep them in time, the notes soft against the pelting rain. Zelda felt like she could never let him go in that moment. That this would be all she could need; a home in a town with people they knew, where the rain was always warm and the garden always ready for the harvest.

Eventually, the rain stopped, and Link and Zelda went back inside.

* * *

Link sat at their dining table the next morning, taking a knife and fork to yet another pancake, while Zelda busily mixed up more batter in their kitchen. He hadn't even taught her this recipe; it must have been something she'd picked up on her travels. The batter was made with banana and cinnamon, and a hint of lemon rind from the tree that Medda had helped them plant in their garden in the Spring.

"This is really good!" he said through a mouthful of food.

"You're just saying that." Zelda replied, her attention never leaving her cooking.

"I'm not." Link stood from his chair, and crossed the room to the kitchen, walking up behind Zelda to wrap his arms around her. "When you gonna let me just love you, Zel?"

Zelda shrugged and leant her head back to rest it against his chest. "Maybe I'm just not used to it."

"Well, get used to it." Link said, giving her a squeeze. He sat back down at the table and was just about to dig into another morsel of pancake when he heard a faint beeping coming from the loft.

After Link and Purah had managed to make the message medallion, the Director had worked on creating three more; one for herself, one Impa in Kakariko Village and one for Robbie in Akkala. And while Link and Zelda had the Slate and their own medallion between them, the Sheikah and the Hylians could keep watch over almost half of Hyrule - able to alert each other almost immediately if there was any trouble.

It was the Akkalan researcher contacting the Slate this time; there had been a cave-in in one of the lower levels of the Citadel. Not only that but a band of Mokoblins that had managed to cross the main bridge and were giving the guards a what-for. Link exhaled in frustration. Another problem to deal with; more work to take him away from this house, and the woman he shared it with.

He dressed, gave Zelda the bad news along with a lingering kiss and his thanks for breakfast, and reluctantly teleported to the Citadel.

* * *

Zelda finished packing her things within an hour of Link's departure. There was no point staying now that he was no longer with her. They had planned to spend two weeks in the village - a sabbatical from their normally busy lives - but it seemed that even now there was no escaping their duty. One day, Zelda thought, When things have settled. We'll come back here, in earnest.

She was leading her horse through the town gates when the sweet voice rang out over the fields.

"Your grace!" the woman called, and Zelda turned to see a pretty young Hylian with cropped brown hair bounding over towards her. "Before you go!" she said. "I just wanted to make sure everything is sorted in your garden!"

Ivee. "More than sorted," Zelda smiled at the woman, though her features were twinged with sadness. "It's better than either of us could have managed."

"Medda really knows his stuff," Ivee agreed, a far off twinkle in her eyes. She noticed Zelda's horse and pack. "You're heading off so soon? Medda said you and Link were staying for a while."

"Kingdom running." Zelda said with a nervous laugh. "It never stops."

"I can't imagine. But you've got a good Prince Consort by your side, I can tell you most of the ladies in town are jealous."

Prince...Consort? "Oh, Ivee, we're not-"

"I know," Ivee laughed. "But you'll be getting married, won't you? I can't imagine how wonderful that would be!"

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but then she remembered Medda's nervous affection for the girl and the way it was returned when Ivee spoke of him. Let the girl dream, Zelda told herself. Give her the hope you never had.

"Promise not to tell anyone," Zelda eventually said, giving in.

"I knew it!" Ivee almost cheered. She bid Zelda a good morning and jogged happily back to her store. Zelda looked down from the gates of Hateno to the mountains of Necluda, and then back towards the Hateno home. Maybe I can stay just a little longer, she thought, maybe Link will only be a little while. She made her decision and turned her horse around.

* * *

Link returned to Hateno less than three days after his initial departure, materialising at the shrine close-by to the home. He breathed a happy sigh of relief when he saw Zelda's horse still secured in its shelter. Medda and Ivee were working in the garden, and they waved him over when they saw him. It was raining again, but the Hylians didn't seem to mind.

"Afternoon's welcome," Medda said as Link approached. "And many congratulations."

Link stared blankly at the farmer. "Congratulations?"

"Ivee told me, though she said not to tell anyone," Medda said, sharing a knowing glance with the shopkeeper. "Yourself and the Zelda!"

"I really don't follow."

Medda laughed, and just as Zelda opened their front door to step out of the house he said, "You're engaged! The Queen told us herself."

Link grinned wide, a big, dumbfounded smile spreading across his face. "Right…" he said slowly and turned with wide eyes to glare at Zelda, who was stood frozen in the doorway. She'd gone whiter than milk and was gaping at him with panic written on her face.

"Medda. Ivee." Zelda said suddenly, her gaze snapping across to the two gardeners. "I think that's all I need help with today."

The Hylians must have sensed their transgression, for they simply nodded, politely bidding Link and Zelda goodbye before walking together back into town. Zelda retreated into the house without a word, but Link followed, shutting and locking the front door. He leaned against it with his arms across his chest, while Zelda waited apprehensively by the dining table. All was silent save the patter of rain against their roof, and the water leaking into the pails of water still left around the room.

"You told them we were engaged?" he asked simply, catching her gaze with his.

"No!" Zelda blurted out. And then she started rambling. "That... Ivee ! She cornered me! I didn't want to dash her hopes. I...I haven't even thought about it! We don't need to get married, not until we want to, at least!"

Link breathed deep, shyly eyeing the floor and speaking like his words were nothing. "I wouldn't mind it."

"I mean I- wait... what!? "

"I wouldn't mind."

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "Is this you proposing?"

"I-What? I don't know. Maybe."

Zelda looked around their house, and then back to him. "Would anything change?" she asked wryly.

Link shrugged. "You know, probably not," he said with a laugh.

"It's settled then," Zelda smiled, stepping forward to pull him into an embrace. "If a little, unromantically."

The sudden warmth of her and the joy of realising what had just transpired between them was almost too much for Link. He swept her into a needing kiss, only stopping to breathe an _I love you_ and to savour hearing it said in return.

"Enough! Enough!" Zelda giggled after a time, prying herself away from him. "Look, it's almost sunset. The general store will be closed soon, and we need some truffles for dinner.

She unlocked their front door, but Link caught her, wrapping his arms around her again. "Stay," he half begged. "We don't need 'em."

Zelda pulled herself free and opened the door. "Yes we do, unless you want plain rice balls for dinner again."

Link stood in the doorway, sulking as Zelda walked towards the town. She stopped and giggled again when she turned to see him. "Come on, Hero. I didn't say I was going alone."

Link sighed; in her company, there was nothing to do but concede. He closed the door to their home, and followed Zelda out into the rain.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who read/favourited/reviewed this fic. I really appreciate all of it :)**


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